Settlement Guide: How to prevent drowning

With another scorching summer approaching, authorities are pleading with swimmers to use caution as the number of people drowning has jumped by ten per cent since last year.

Beachgoers cool down at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Source: AAP

Australia is world-famous for its beautiful beaches. Unfortunately they also are a prime location for tragedy.

 Figures released by the Royal Life Saving Society Australia show that during the last 12 months, 276 people fatally drowned in Australia. That’s a ten per cent increase on the year before.

Many drowning incidents involved recent migrants and new arrivals, says Stacey Pidgeon from the Royal Life Saving Society Australia.